Why Customized Herbal Medicine is Different
A decade ago, I had an unpredictable menstrual cycle, unstable moods, and paralyzing existential dread. I yearned for a way out, but found no help in conventional Western medicine. I started studying herbalism and experimented with self-healing and self-prescribing plant medicine.
This approach proved futile. I had jar upon jar of plant material in alcohol tincture and dozens of symptom-targeting serums and potions. Months later, I still had all of my same problems.
Then I began seeing a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner. It wasn’t until she prescribed a customized formula with eight plant parts chosen specifically for me that all of my symptoms began to shift. I no longer take this formula, and my ailments have not returned.
In the internet age, being a human interested in natural medicine leaves one inundated with advertisements for products promising long-lasting energy, smooth skin, and easy sleep. Words like “synergy” “extract” and “isolate” invade our Instagram feeds, and flood the sidebar of our daily news scroll.
On the one hand, I am grateful that broader culture has acknowledged the value of plant medicine. And yet, the guiding pillar of this approach remains a limited Western reductionist perspective that ultimately capitalizes on our well-intentioned desire to heal naturally.
Companies relate to plants as isolated substances made up of constituent chemical parts that “cure anxiety” and “boost digestive enzymes.” They have driven us to buy well-designed packages of powders, tinctures and balms of “superfoods” and “superherbs” that help for a little bit, not at all, for a short time, or only if taken every single day.
Over the last decade, this has created a mountain of misinformation, and has actually given every lineage of herbalism a shoddy reputation (“it is ineffective” “inconsistent” et cetera). The truth is, you probably don’t need reishi mushroom powder, or a jar of schizandra syrup. You need a better approach for herbal prescription.
Classical Chinese herbal medicine is fundamentally different from other herbal approaches. It is not DIY supplementation from the health-food store, and it is not a boutique blend to “optimize” your morning drink.
Classical Chinese herbal medicine is a comprehensive system of plant medicine whose efficacy is rooted in diagnostic rigor and nuanced treatment strategies.
Treatments are individually customized to address a patient’s unique constitution and root cause of disease, rather than target isolated anatomical parts or physiological functions.
When practiced effectively and integrated with simple lifestyle shifts, clinical herbal medicine restores your organ systems’ abilities to function optimally on their own.
This is categorically different from taking an over-the-counter supplement targeted to conditions like insomnia, anxiety, and menstrual cramps that stops working the moment you stop taking it.
Our functional medicine approach works by reminding your body that it already knows how to sleep well, menstruate well, and digest well, not by surrendering to a lifetime of nightly tinctures that work half the time, but by slowly and systematically supporting your body as a whole functional organism. Learn more about our herbal medicine offerings here.
Ultimately, I believe all of us are looking for vitality and ease of being. After a decade of exploration and thousands of clinical hours engaged in this work, I have come to know Chinese herbalism as the most comprehensive system of plant medicine available, and the most effective way to arrive at the deep health we all know is possible.